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Jing Rui pondered for a moment and said, "There was talk that he fell ill a while ago, but not long after, he was well again. Even if there was something wrong with that thing, compared to the wealthy like him, there are ways to solve it."

"That reassures me. The Jade Watermelon is a possession of my master, and I wouldn’t want it to become an evil spirit."

After a chat, Gu Xiaoxi realized it was almost time to leave and said to Jing Rui, "I have to go."

"Then, be careful on the road!"

Jing Rui watched Gu Xiaoxi leave, and for some reason, he felt a touch of reluctance.

Since their first meeting, Jing Rui had been deeply impressed by Gu Xiaoxi. And now, he felt an even greater sense of familiarity.

"Mm!" Gu Xiaoxi nodded with a smile.

And with that, she strode away.

On the flight back to their country, everyone was in high spirits.

The International Alliance offered rewards for capturing fugitives.

No matter if they were local police, military service members, or bounty hunters, anyone who could capture a criminal and deliver them would receive a substantial reward.

And this was their due.

"This mission was completed smoothly, thanks to our junior sister’s meticulous planning, which helped us avoid disaster. Junior sister, how should we thank you? With this plentiful reward money, I can treat everyone," Jiang Shichi said with a beaming smile.

Gu Xiaoxi gave him a look and unwittingly said, "There’s no need for a meal. In the future, when I give orders, don’t question me so much. Let’s all just cooperate."

"Of course! Team Leader Gu’s decisions are always right," Zhao Zilong said with a big smile.

The others also joined in the laughter.

After this mission, Jing Haoran was due to return to his own unit.

At that moment, he desperately wanted to transfer to Team Z.

But that was impossible.

With some time on her hands now, Gu Xiaoxi turned to the others and said, "Since everyone is so pleased, I’ll take this opportunity to talk about our basic positioning against enemies in future battles."

During their encounter with Bai Sha, they all managed to evade the enemy’s attacks, except for Yun Xiao, who was wounded.

If she hadn’t reacted quickly, Yun Xiao’s light injuries could have been severe, or even fatal.

This made her consider how they should support each other in combat.

For example, Yun Xiao, Zuo Yu, and Tang Yisheng were Special Ability Users, who couldn’t resist enemies when using their Special Abilities, so once someone got in close to attack, they would be injured."

On the other hand, Gao Yuchen, Wu An, Jiang Shichi, Zhao Zilong, and Shao Changfeng were all fighters.

Excellent in hand-to-hand combat, quick to react, and with strong physical endurance, their positioning should naturally protect the Special Ability Users behind them.

Working collaboratively in this way would better compensate for each other’s weaknesses.

"...Therefore, I suggest that from now on, we pair up in teams of two, so everyone can cover for each other when facing the enemy," Gu Xiaoxi said.

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing her words.

"Now, I’ll assign the pairs. Yun Xiao is a woman and would be at a disadvantage in combat, so Gao Yuchen, you’ll partner with Yun Xiao," Gu Xiaoxi said, looking towards the silent Gao Yuchen, "What do you think?"

With a slight smile and his gaze on Yun Xiao, Gao Yuchen said, "Protecting a beauty is a matter of honor!"

"Tsk!"

His remark immediately sparked a wave of disdainful laughter.

Gu Xiaoxi then turned to Jiang Shichi and said, "You’ll pair up with Zuo Yu. Remember to protect your brother; he doesn’t talk much. You need to learn how to communicate with him to reach an understanding."

"Junior sister, don’t worry, leave him to me. I will make sure he doesn’t get hurt," Jiang Shichi said with a smile, patting Zuo Yu’s shoulder, who shyly smiled back.

"Tang Yisheng, who do you want as your partner?" Gu Xiaoxi asked.

Looking serious, Tang Yisheng said, "How about you?"

"Alright! Our superior officer would chop off your dog paws for such a notion. You sure have the gall to ask for Young Master Quan’s Wife," Zhao Zilong jeered.

Gu Xiaoxi glared at them, "Cut it out! As the team leader, I naturally need to oversee the overall situation and take the lead."

Tang Yisheng looked around the group with a grin, finally settling his gaze on Zhao Zilong, "I’ll take him then! I heard he has high Inner Strength. Even though he lost to a woman, I won’t hold it against him."

"What’s that? You look down on me? If you’re capable, let’s have a one-on-one fight," Zhao Zilong snapped, visibly annoyed.

With his chin raised and a sneer, Tang Yisheng said, "Who’s afraid of who!"

"Since that’s how it is, you two will be a team," Gu Xiaoxi confirmed decisively.

Finally, she turned to Mo Li and asked, "What about you? Who do you want to be paired with?"

Since Mo Li’s abilities were not well known among them due to limited interaction, they weren’t sure what type of Special Ability he possessed.

Mo Li calmly said, "I’m fine with anyone."

"I will!"

Shao Changfeng eagerly volunteered to team up with him.

With that, everyone had their assignments.

For those not yet paired, Gu Xiaoxi explained, "Whether the team grows or shrinks in number, the partnerships will never change. Those left over will join me as vanguards. This way, our unity will make us even stronger."

"Yes!" Wu An and Yi Chentian nodded, having no objections to being vanguards.

Although it was just a simple distribution, the mere thought could enhance the team’s performance significantly.

This made everyone admire Gu Xiaoxi’s leadership even more.

*

The cars from the A city’s Z division had been waiting for a while.

Gu Xiaoxi led everyone onto the vehicle provided by the superior officer, ready to head back to Z division.

Soon, the car left the city, heading towards the remote Z division.

On the car, everyone was making a racket, clearly in high spirits.

...

Suddenly, as they were driving along a mountain road, the car came to a stop.

The driver, frowning at the pile of stones on the road, said, "What’s going on here? Where did these stones come from all of a sudden?"

Gu Xiaoxi and the others had already jumped out of the car, looking at the pile of stones blocking the road with curiosity.

"Who has nothing better to do than to dump stones in the middle of the road." Jiang Shichi couldn’t help cursing.

At the same time, everyone went forward to move the stones, as they wouldn’t be able to pass without clearing them.

Gu Xiaoxi checked the time; it was already around four or five in the afternoon. Logically speaking,

this backwater area had a road mostly used by soldiers from Z division. The soldiers here wouldn’t do such pointless things.

Soon, everyone had finished moving the stones.

"All right, get ready to get back on!" the driver called out to everyone.

After Gu Xiaoxi led everyone back onto the car, the driver quickly drove them back to the Military Department.

In the command center, Quan Shaoqing had already been standing under the national flag waiting for them.

The car parked in the designated spot, and Gu Xiaoxi led everyone out of the vehicle.

From a distance, Gu Xiaoxi looked at Quan Shaoqing and a smile revealed itself on her lips involuntarily.

Many times, he had stood there waiting for her.

Between them, there had been joy, there had been farewells, but this time was the most gratifying for her.

He stood under the national flag, waiting for her triumphant return.

Every time she saw his figure, she felt an indescribable comfort, as if that was enough for her lifetime.

"Report! I’ve brought everyone back," Gu Xiaoxi stepped forward briskly and saluted Quan Shaoqing.

Quan Shaoqing nodded and looked towards everyone.

However, after a quick glance, he frowned, "Why are you two people short?"

"Jing Haoran went back! We should be missing just one person!" Gu Xiaoxi turned to look back.

With a single look, Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes widened in shock; aside from Jing Haoran, two more people were missing.

Yi Chentian and Shao Changfeng!

"Has anyone seen where they went?" Gu Xiaoxi was baffled.

"They were sitting beside me in the car just before!" Zhao Zilong also expressed confusion.

"I saw the two of them when we were moving the stones on the road just now!" Yun Xiao added.

A bad premonition suddenly arose in Gu Xiaoxi’s heart.

"We just encountered a lot of stones blocking the road on the territory of Z division. Everyone moved the stones, but in such a short time, where could they have gone?" Gu Xiaoxi hadn’t seen them leave.

Quan Shaoqing’s brow furrowed deeply, "How can two grown men just disappear into thin air? Everyone, quickly start searching!"

Gu Xiaoxi also grew anxious, hoping that they had merely gone to the toilet or were doing something else and had missed the car!

By the time they turned back, it was almost dark.

Quan Shaoqing had also dispatched more people to search.

However, Yi Chentian and Shao Changfeng remained unaccounted for.

Quan Shaoqing refused to believe this was happening and personally led a search team throughout the night.

The two men had mysteriously vanished.

It wasn’t until the following morning that Quan Shaoqing received a letter.

When he saw the letter, he was thrown into turmoil.

The letter was written in a string of Egyptian characters.

The meaning was: Ten days later, I, Gu Feng, will hold a grand event at Sacred Mountain, inviting distinguished guests from all over to revel. Of course, I have already asked some of your people to arrive in advance.

After reading it, Quan Shaoqing, furious, slapped the letter down onto the table.

"Gu Feng, such audacity. To dare to kidnap people right on my doorstep."

...